The executive order President Obama signed Monday to remove previous barriers to stem-cell research has garnered praise from the scientific community and criticism surrounding its controversial nature.
The policy change, one of Obama's campaign promises, allows federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, voiced her opposition to Obama's order.
""The executive order was expected but very disappointing,"" she said. ""We believe that President Obama is behind the times, because the research is moving in a different direction. We believe that eventually embryonic stem-cell research will become obsolete.""
Lyons said UW-Madison researcher James Thomson's 2007 breakthrough of induced pluripotent skin cells could be used in a similar way as embryonic stem cells, calling the discovery the ""holy grail of research.""
""[Obama's executive order] is ill-advised,"" Julaine Appling, CEO of the Wisconsin Family Council, said. ""We have a path of success that has been cut through adult stem-cell research. We do not need to go to the point of destroying human life.""
UW-Madison researchers and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., were on hand Monday in Washington, D.C., for Obama's signing of the order.
Thomson attended the signing ceremony, as did UW Medical School professors Tim Kamp and Clive Svendsen, UW Medical School senior scientist Derek Hei and UW-Madison law professor Alta Charo.
Thomson, who led integral stem-cell research at UW-Madison, said in a statement embryonic stem-cell research ""remains critically important"" and it impacts other research in the field.
""Human-induced pluripotent stem cells—the transformed adult cells that seem to mimic the qualities of embryonic stem cells—would not have been possible without research on human embryonic stem cells,"" he said.
Baldwin said in a statement Thomson's pioneering research holds promise for the discovery of cures for serious medical conditions like spinal-cord injuries, cancer and heart disease.
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., agreed this order opens a door to further research, especially through the University of Wisconsin.
""The University of Wisconsin has played a critical role in embryonic stem-cell research, and lifting these restrictions will help it continue its efforts to develop treatments and cures for some of the biggest medical challenges of our time,"" he said in a statement.
